As the Edmonton Oilers prepared to bid farewell to Rexall Place last April, the corridors were crowded with legendary alumni telling tall tales of the glory days.

Zack Kassian then emerged as the locker-room doors slid open. No heads turned. Nobody paid attention. They should have because Kassian looked and sounded different.

The franchise’s legendary Hall of Famers rightfully commanded the spotlight that day, but one should have shone on the transformed winger, too. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing. He was lean, clean and spoke with a refreshing and measured frankness about bottoming out and climbing back up.

There was no anger in his tone, no pointing of fingers and the fleet-footed, confident and game-winning-goal guy you see today in the Stanley Cup playoffs is a reflection of the clarity he presented.

The 26-year-old Windsor, Ont., native finally had a foundation on which to build a better life because what came before was destroying it.

We know Kassian was under the influence on that fateful early Sunday morning in Montreal on Oct. 4, 2015 when a car he was travelling in hit a tree.

We know the driver was reportedly a 20-year-old female and another passenger was an 18-year-old girl. We know Kassian fractured a foot and his nose and was placed in Stage 2 of the National Hockey League’s substance-abuse and behavioural-health program for two months and suspended without pay by the Canadiens.

We know about the waivers and the one-year, show-us life-preserver contract from the Oilers to rescue his career and health. We just didn’t know how he would handle it all.

“It’s sad to say, but I needed something bad like that to happen,” Kassian told me that day at Rexall Place. “People can tell you what they want and try to do whatever they want to help you, but it’s one of those things you have to go through yourself.

“Sadly, I had that car accident and it really changed my life. I went away and had time to think and I’m happy with how everything has turned out.”

Which, of course, makes you wonder if it couldn’t have turned out differently for Kassian in Vancouver.

Alain Vigneault, John Tortorella and Willie Desjardins tried to point him in the right direction on the ice. The winger teased of potential after being acquired in the controversial trade for rookie Cody Hodgson, who had 16 goals and 17 points in 63 games, but the centre fell out of favour with Vigneault.

Kassian had a career-high 14 goals and 124 penalty minutes in 2013-14, a season that started with an eight-game suspension for a Sept. 21 incident in Edmonton. He swung his stick and broke the jaw of Sam Gagner which led to then-Oilers’ rookie head coach Dallas Eakins calling it “a disturbing play by a disturbing player.”

How did Kassian respond? “He can think what he wants — good for him.”

Zack Kassian as a Vancouver Canuck.

Kassian then appeared to mock Gagner when he returned with a protective shield and it made you wonder if something was amiss, something that went beyond gamesmanship.

Tortorella refused to play Kassian in the top-six mix during his one-year reign of error because there was a trust factor with his understanding of the game. The winger would make a brilliant play, then cough up the puck on the same shift.

“He doesn’t have a clue what to do in certain situations,” Tortorella lamented. “Does he have an upside? Absolutely. There are some things that are really intriguing about him, but he’s going to go through the process and we’re going to try and do it the right way because we feel that is what’s best for him.”

The Canucks believed the trickle-down effect of Kassian becoming a better player would naturally transcend to him becoming a better professional. It was something Kassian often spoke about, but deep down he knew talk was cheap and his actions would do the talking.

Yet there were times when it looked like Kassian was turning a corner here, especially during a father-and-son road trip in February of 2015 to Minnesota and Chicago. The winger was joined by his older brother, Mike Jr. because his father, Mike Sr., died of a heart abnormality when Kassian was eight years of age.

Zack Kassian shoves Alex Biega.Codie McLachlan /
Getty Images

Kassian had been a healthy scratch in five of the previous 10 games and his name kept popping up in trade rumours. They would come to fruition that July when he was dealt to the Canadiens, along with a fifth-round pick, for winger Brandon Prust. But on that father-and-son trip, he scored in both games and sounded like he was in a better place.

“When my dad passed away, he (Mike Jr.) was 19 and really stepped in and was that father figure and really helped my mom (Shirley) out,” Kassian recalled. “This (trip) is very rewarding for him. My brother never asked for anything and he’s that type of person. He loves coming to games and being around the guys and he’s definitely been my No. 1 fan.

“He’s very supportive and gives me a kick in the ass when I need it.”

Kassian entered Stage 2 of the league’s program because he had violated Stage 1, which mainly involves counselling and there is no loss of pay or suspension. But even that was a window on his troubled world and the Canucks lost faith and patience that Kassian could be everything he talked about.

The fact his actions now speak louder than words is more than about winning games. He’s finally winning at the game of life.

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